The massive iron sphere came crashing down with overwhelming force.
But the moment it struck Liam, everything changed.
The greater the force applied, the stronger the rebound.
The iron mass didn't just stop—it reversed. The entire sphere was hurled back toward Magneto with even greater speed, the air itself splitting under the pressure of its return.
This time, Magneto was ready.
He raised his hands calmly, exerting precise control as the massive iron ball halted midair just before reaching him. The metal trembled slightly under the strain, but he stabilized it with practiced ease.
Even so, his expression shifted.
That exchange had confirmed it—pure physical force was useless against Liam. No matter how much pressure he applied, it would simply be turned back on him.
Troublesome.
Magneto's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't hesitate. With another motion of his hand, countless iron sheets peeled away from the structure of the statue, moving rapidly as they formed a layered enclosure around Liam.
The metal folded inward, sealing him completely inside like a reinforced cage.
"Liam!" Rogue called out from behind, her voice tight with concern as she took a step forward.
There was no response.
"Let's see you get out of that," Magneto said calmly, a faint smile forming as he observed the sealed structure.
Liam's ability was powerful—he couldn't deny that. But it had an obvious limitation. Reflection required an external force to act against. Once trapped and immobilized, there would be nothing to reflect.
Or so he believed.
Then—
Boom.
The entire structure exploded outward.
The iron sheets that had formed the cage were blasted apart as if struck from within by overwhelming force, scattering in all directions.
"Magneto," Liam's voice rang out, calm but edged with a faint chill. "You're getting ahead of yourself."
He stepped forward from the debris without a scratch, his posture relaxed as if the attempt to contain him had been nothing more than an inconvenience.
Magneto's expression darkened.
At this point, it was clear—if Liam wasn't dealt with, nothing else would matter. The plan would fail.
Without another word, Magneto rose into the air, his body lifting smoothly as his hands spread outward.
The entire statue responded.
Every piece of metal within its structure began to tremble, then tear free, rising into the sky in massive quantities. Panels, beams, fragments—everything converged above them, forming a storm of steel.
He was no longer testing.
He was serious.
Liam watched the movement, his brows knitting slightly.
If this continued, the disturbance would be impossible to ignore. Manhattan wasn't far. A display on this scale could easily draw unwanted attention.
That couldn't be allowed.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, he acted.
The metal stopped.
Then—
It moved.
But not under Magneto's control.
The countless iron sheets that had been drawn into the air suddenly reversed direction, breaking free from Magneto's influence as they flew back toward their original positions.
Magneto's pupils shrank.
"How is that possible?" he demanded, genuine shock breaking through his composure. "You can control magnetism too?"
He could feel it clearly. The metal he had been manipulating was no longer responding to him—it had been seized by another force entirely.
"Nothing's impossible," Liam said calmly. "Let's end this, Magneto."
Before Magneto could react, Liam's gaze sharpened.
A silent command was issued.
Magneto's body froze.
His muscles locked in place, his connection to the surrounding metal severed in an instant.
"It's… telepathy?" Magneto's voice tightened as he realized what had happened. "Mind control…?!"
He hadn't worn his helmet.
With Professor X incapacitated, he hadn't considered it necessary.
But that mistake had cost him.
What mattered more, however, was something else entirely.
From the beginning of the fight until now, Liam had demonstrated multiple distinct abilities—vector manipulation, matter manipulation, electromagnetic control… and now telepathy.
Each one was powerful on its own.
Combined, they were overwhelming.
Magneto's expression shifted again, something deeper flickering beneath the surface.
"You're… a Level Five mutant?" he said slowly.
There was shock in his voice.
And something else.
Envy.
Among all the mutants he had gathered, very few possessed truly exceptional power. He had always known Jean Grey stood at that level—but now, there was another.
And this one stood directly in front of him.
"Level Five?" Liam shrugged slightly. "If you want to call it that."
To him, that label didn't mean much. It was barely a starting point.
Magneto exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down.
Force wouldn't work.
That much was obvious now.
"Liam… perhaps we should talk," he said, his tone shifting as he abandoned direct confrontation.
"That's what you should've done with the Professor a long time ago," Liam replied casually.
"No," Magneto said, his eyes fixed on him. "I mean… you."
Liam raised an eyebrow slightly, genuinely surprised.
Magneto wanted to talk—to him, not Charles.
Before either of them could continue, footsteps echoed behind them.
"Liam!"
Storm and Polaris finally arrived at the torch, their expressions tense until they took in the scene.
"You made it," Liam said lightly, gesturing with a small nod. "Everything's handled."
Storm's shoulders eased slightly as she saw Rogue standing safely behind him.
"Thank God," she murmured under her breath.
Then Polaris's gaze shifted.
And locked onto Magneto.
Her expression changed instantly, something complicated surfacing in her eyes.
For years, she had carried resentment toward the man who had abandoned her. But now, standing face-to-face with him, the emotions she felt weren't as simple as she had imagined.
"You… you're Lorna?" Magneto asked, his voice faltering slightly as recognition dawned.
"Looks like you still remember my name," Polaris said coldly, crossing her arms.
Liam stood to the side, watching the shift in atmosphere with quiet interest.
This was something else entirely.
"You joined the X-Men?" Magneto asked, his tone no longer calm, but layered with something heavier.
"Yeah," Polaris replied, a faint, bitter smile forming. "Didn't expect the daughter you abandoned would end up with them, did you?"
Silence followed.
Magneto didn't respond immediately.
When he had left her as a child, sending her away to be raised elsewhere, he had already known what that decision meant.
Now, standing in front of her, he couldn't deny the consequences.
And he couldn't deny the distance that had grown between them.
....
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